


One Day More

by Tsubasa_Hane



Category: Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark, F/M, Suicide Attempt, mentions of death and loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:55:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24379828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsubasa_Hane/pseuds/Tsubasa_Hane
Summary: "Come to TIbet with me.""Damian, I already told you--""It was not a question."Clark isn't the one who stopped Raven from ending it all that Day.  Damian is.
Relationships: Raven/Damian Wayne
Comments: 18
Kudos: 259





	One Day More

**Author's Note:**

> Shall I join my brothers there?  
> When our ranks begin to form
> 
> Do I stay or do I dare?
> 
> Will you take your place with me?  
> -One Day More, Les Miserables

* * *

" _Come with me."_

" _Damian..."_

" _We'll lead them together. You're...a good fighter, Raven. Powerful. The League could use your strength."_

" _...I can't..."_

* * *

Cold water splashed against her knees. Hot, dusty air filled her lungs, mixed with the pungent scent of blood and decay.

Death.

Her hands were oddly steady as she held up the bamboo shoot. There were no tears. Its tip had been sharped to a lethal point. She was not afraid. Even the slightest touch to the skin of her throat drew blood. She felt the sing and gasped. The weight of her intentions came crashing down on her. Her eyes closed. Unwelcome thoughts of regret and sadness flooded her mind.

**_Lower your blade, daughter. If you die, I will remain trapped here._ **

As did the last voice she knew she would ever hear again.

**_Free me, if you care so little for this world you seek to remove yourself from it permanently. Then I will see to it in your memory._ **

"You will never be free again," She muttered to the voice, raising both arms up. Aiming true. "But I will."

Before she could land the final blow, a flying projectile struck her hand. The bamboo flew from her hands. She was too numb to feel the pain. Exhaustion slowed her reaction. She could only stare after her makeshift shiv long enough to watch it roll into the lake.

A small dagger embedded itself into the ground. She recognized the design on its handle.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?!"

Damian.

His voice struck her in the chest with full force. She nearly forgot to breathe. Her body remained frozen in place. Eyes fixated on nothing at all. She would not look at him. She couldn't.

Except a hand was on her chin, jerking her head up and to the left, and she saw green. He was so close, she could hear the stagger to his breath. Feel the tremble in his hand. Adrenaline. How fast he must have sprinted. How far to push himself to reach her in time. In that moment, a crack in his usual dam of restraint burst forth a wash of conflicting emotions. She felt each one just as he did.

Fear. Anger. Sadness.

And…

His eyes narrowed. Face blanking into a newly hardened resolve. The dam was patched, and Raven could breathe again.

He rose to a stand, but not before reaching for her hand and pulling her up with him. Her body obeyed, though her knees wobbled slightly. She remained transfixed on his eyes, as if she would collapse the moment she dared turn away. Drawing the strength she needed from his presence.

She felt...gratitude.

 ** _You cannot lie to me._** The voice in her head sneered. **_I know you better than yourself. I know of his worth. Intrinsic at best, but still a life I will take great pleasure in ending, should you not release me from these chains._**

Her eyes widened at Trigon's threat, and she wretched her hand away from Damian's, stepping back as she clutched at her head.

" _No!_ "

Damian watched her carefully. Reacting little other than to follow her every movement. Raven felt his understanding grow.

"Trigon?" He asked. It was rhetorical.

Still, she nodded anyway.

"I see." She heard him step forward, and moved to retreat further away. But he was fast, catching her hand once more. Holding on that much tighter. Raven thought at first she felt a sense of desperation coming from him...but, no, it was determination. "Come to Tibet with me."

It was not the first time he had asked her.

"Damian, I already told you—"

"It was not a question."

She looked up in surprise, nearly forgetting her father's threats. For once, his scathing voice was pushed to the far back of her mind. Yet nothing took its place. Her thoughts had gone blank. Silent as the moment passing between them. She was...confused.

Damian had never been leader of the Titans, nor her boss in any form. She was not his unquestioning subordinate. The decision was supposed to be hers. And she had every right to protest. There were reasons. So many of them. Every reason to say 'no' to him a second time, pull away, and disappear into a darkness he would never find. It would have been the smart choice. The best chance either of them could have hoped for.

His lips moved. Words came out. She would not remember what he said. Their fingers intertwined. Her face felt feverish as he eyelashes fluttered shut. He leaned over to whisper something in her ear.

A destination.

Her lips parted, in the span of a breathy sigh, she muttered the familiar incantation:

"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos."

Magic burst from within her, manifesting in a black ethereal glow that enveloped them both.

At the base of what was once Titans Tower, Clark Kent watched the two teens disappear into Raven's magic. They were gone a moment later. Teleported to somewhere he would not follow.

Sadness filled his heart, but also relief. Damian and Raven would stay together. He was sure of that as he was of anything left in this world. Neither of them would have to face the coming days alone.

They would not need him.

* * *

There was little ceremony to Damian's return to the League.

They stood not on a grand staircase, but on the burned remains of a vast courtyard. Every head towered above them until they didn't. Raven never once left his side as he addressed the surviving members. Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her, but she stood with her head held high. She would not bring him shame. Not here. Not ever.

A sea of anonymity bowed before them. Only a single face exposed in all the crowd: Lady Shiva. Raven had recognized her at once, which made it all the more startling to see the woman kneel respectively at her feet. Until Damian bid them all stand, and suddenly the waves towered over both their pubescent frames once more.

Another time, Raven would have flinched.

"She is my Honored Guest." Damian was telling them. Answering any and all unspoken questions as bluntly as one would expect. "She is under my protection for the foreseeable future. And as far as any of you are concerned..." Only then did he pause, briefly, before resolve kicked in. "...she is to be considered my equal in every sense. If there are any who object, tough shit."

Lady Shiva dared raise an eyebrow.

Any deeper meaning to his words was lost to Raven, even despite the several discreet glances shared behind faceless masks. To her, it made sense. He was promising her safety. To do that, he needed to project her perceived strength and importance to those who valued nothing less. Few in the League, if any, would dare cross her now.

She was swaying on her feet as the crowds dispersed. Damian must have noticed. He glanced her way, but she closed her eyes and willed herself steady. When she opened them again, Lady Shiva was standing before them. The blood on her uniform had not been so clearly visible from a distance, but up close, Raven noted every splatter pattern telling of a hard-fought victory.

Damian was speaking to her directly.

"You will provide Raven with food and quarters. And...aid her with the things I cannot."

Confusion at his choice soon gave way to a growing unease when she realized Damian intended to walk away, leaving her with Lady Shiva. Alone. Without him.

"It's alright, Raven." He called back. He had known. "I trust Lady Shiva with my life. And I am trusting her with yours."

Raven was silenced into compliance.

Lady Shiva's expression did not change as she indicated towards the main building. "This way, Lady Raven."

Raven had already given up before considering correcting the title.

* * *

_Fire._

_Screams—no, a roar. Loud. Ferocious. Angry._

_Metal clanking against Metal._

_Raven's head shot up in time to meet with four pools of searing embers. The brows on her father's forehead were deeply furrowed as he snarled. Amusement seeped through his perpetual agitation, even as he struggled against the restraints._

_They continued to hold. For now._

" _You are a disappointment, daughter. Foolish to think one so weak could save you. Release me now, and you have my word his death will be swift. Disobey, and I will feed him to the one you fear most personally."_

_Ice water trickled down her spine. Raven couldn't breathe. Her body was freezing and burning up at the same time._

" _I will never listen to you," she spat out._

" _Bold of you to think you will be given the choice, dear, dear, Raven..."_

" _...Raven..."_

"Raven!"

She awoke with a start, rising to a seated position. The room was dark. Her breath came in audible gasps. Shaky fingers clutched at the silky threads of her bedding. She swallowed twice in vain attempt to ease her nerves and regain control.

"Raven."

Damian's voice called to her. It was so close. His presence felt even closer. A weight pressed into the side of the bed. Her eyes began to adjust to the dim lighting. Where she had feared she would see red once more, there was only green.

"Lady Shiva heard you." An explanation. He was not looking to shame or belittle her. "She came to get me."

She nodded. A hand rose to her head. It ached. Badly.

"Trigon again?"

Another nod. There was little point in keeping that much from him.

This time, there was a small whimper. Something cold and wet pressed into her arm. She risked a glance downward, and saw the outlines of Titus' worried gaze as he rested his head against her knee. Of course. He was every much Damian's dog as anyone's. It made sense that he would follow in their journey. All the way to her...to the room she'd been given to sleep in.

She forced a smile, reaching to stroke his fur. Offering a consolation scratch behind one ear.

Damian let out a low scoff. "He always did like you best."

"You're only saying that because it's true."

Remnants of a once private joke between them. The others had spent years asking. Gar claimed he would die of curiosity if they didn't explain. Kori had suspected, no doubt coming up with all sorts of theories to share with Dick. Jaime just wanted Titus to stop growling at the scarab.

In the end, Raven never did get the chance to tell them why she had given the pup to Damian, or share the details of their mutual custody agreements.

**_Hn. Yet one more soul that will ultimately fall due to your weakness._ **

Her muscles tensed. She hissed though her teeth, "Shut _up!"_

Damian looked to her oddly.

"Sorry," Her shoulders slumped in apology. "I didn't mean..." The fight in her was gone again. "It's just that sometimes, he gets so loud, I have to answer."

He seemed to accept that.

A gust of the Tibetan night wind blew in through the cracks of her far window. She shivered, even though she'd endured far harsher temperatures in the past. She was still half entangled in her borrowed sheets. Her arms and legs were both exposed. The thin fabric of a tank top and sleep shorts offered little protection. And she was clammy from night sweats.

Then there was warmth. A gentle weight against her bare shoulders. She looked up and saw Damian's shadow loosely wrapping her in something.

Dim light dared make itself known then as the moon emerged from behind the clouds.

He was shirtless. She hadn't noticed until then. Dressed in sleep pants alone, his bare chest was fully exposed in the moonlight. Toned and bronzed and scarred. His hair was damp. A second wind carried with it hints of herbal soaps. Heavy from recent use.

Raven had seen him out of uniform in the past. Just as he'd seen her in civilian clothing. But never like this.

It should have sent her into a mild fluster. Both of them.

But it was not the time for hormones. If anything, seeing Damian in such a state further reinforced the notion of how much a teenage boy he was beneath the hardened exterior. How human.

She steeled herself. And her heart. Resolve flooding her thoughts as she shrugged the comforter from her shoulders. She expected Damian to chide her, but he merely sat back and waited.

"I..." She couldn't risk looking at him. Her gaze averted. "I can't stay here."

He folded his arms over his bare chest. "Explain."

Her lips pressed tightly together. Her eyes lingered near the ground. Titus continued to nudge at her hand, but she pulled that away too.

**_Remember there is no distance you can run. I will find them again. I will find him._ **

Jerking her body to one side, she kicked back the rest of the blankets and stood. The wooden floor beneath her bare feet was cold. She searched the room for signs of her leotard. Where had she put it after bathing?

Damian's hand was on her arm, spinning her around so fast it knocked the breath from her. Her back pressed against the cool wall. He was close. Centimetres of space between them. A hand slammed against the wall to her right. He was biting his lower lip. No doubt restraining himself from saying something he might actually regret later.

She felt his frustration.

"You're being ridiculous," he finally settled on chastising. If he had become aware of their position or proximity, he gave zero indication of such. "I already told you—"

"My father wants to kill you," She blurted out. She couldn't help herself. And she immediately regretted it.

Frustration gave way to realization. Then confusion. Uncertain he'd heard correctly. Concluding he had, and yet that still didn't offer a satisfactory excuse for her behavior.

Damian knew about Trigon. He'd been there the day she'd sealed him inside the jewel. A compromise to keep her with the Team. He knew of the sacrifice it took to keep the demon restrained, and of the toll it had taken on her. He also knew Trigon was all too aware of everyone who had helped imprison him, and prone to revenge. Hell, he would have been more surprised if Trigon _didn't_ want him dead.

There was something else. There had to be.

"Why?"

Raven opened her mouth. Then closed it. Not yet ready to tell him the truth.

So she lied.

"Because you're the only connection to Earth I have left."

Or, rather, offered a half truth.

Damian's eyes narrowed into thin slits. For a moment, Raven wondered if even that had been too much. They were teammates. On good days, friends. Damian himself had long ago conceded that much. There was trust. They enjoyed one another's company.

He'd brought her to Tibet with him.

But a _connection?_ Would he even—

"I want to talk to him."

Only Damian Wayne could ever think to make such a demand. For a moment, Raven even forgot to feel afraid. Wide eyes stared at the look of stubborn determination in his features. Refusal on the tip of her tongue. She would remind him just how bad an idea that was. Lie and say it was impossible.

Her body slumped against the wall. Resigned.

Her eyes closed.

Damian took that as his cue; closing what little space remained between them, he pressed his forehead to hers. Feeling the smooth edges of the jewel as it brushed against his skin.

There was the tiniest of sparks.

They both let out a gasp.

Pain. A dull ache. Warmth. Stifling, like stale hot breath. Inhumane sounds echoing in a natural amphitheater. Shrieks. Growls. Scraping. Stone. Metal. Piercing clashes of the unholy against forced purification.

Damian saw it all. And he felt it.

Then he heard it.

 ** _Sniveling whelp._** He recognized the voice of Trigon as it pounded inside his head, loud as if the demon were in the room with them. **_Your hubris will be your downfall. She will die by your hand, and you will be crushed by mine._**

"Oh, fuck off," Damian snapped back. He felt Raven tense against him. Then start to shake. Almost as if she were...laughing? "I said she was under my protection. Even you won't hurt her as long as I'm around."

**_You cannot remain by her side forever._ **

" _Watch me."_

The words echoed far greater than the ones that came before, thought as strongly as they were spoken, only to fade with the sensation of Trigon's looming presence.

At first, it was quiet.

Then came the wave.

Seconds turned to years as Damian swam though a sea of Feeling. Deep and Vast. Only the emotions were not his own. They couldn't have been. Except...some of them felt familiar. Like a lost memory. Or haunting flashes of deja vu. He saw faces. He saw laughter. He saw smiles. He saw—

He saw himself.

With a violent shudder, the light faded from them both, retreating once more into the jewel. They were left in the dark, Raven shivering in his hold, though her exposed skin felt like fire beneath his fingertips. He could feel her breath against his lips. She could sense his heart racing to the beat of hers. Her eyes rose to meet with his, and she saw the same look of pure astonishment mirrored back.

What had happened just then...was never supposed to happen.

Except it had.

He had seen himself through the veil of her feelings...and she had seen herself through the veil of his.

"Raven..." It was perhaps the weakest Damian had ever allowed himself to sound. Unsure of himself for the first time, but also unmoving. Unblinking. Unwilling to let her go. "I..."

"It wasn't my powers." She barely shook her head. "You didn't bring me here because I'm strong."

He couldn't stop himself from adding: "Trigon doesn't want to kill me to break your connection to Earth."

They knew. They both knew.

Years could have passed without either realizing. A lifetime come and gone before any acknowledgment was voluntarily voiced aloud. The world could have fallen around them, fading into a bleak nothingness before they were ready to admit what was so clear to them now.

Damian shifted his weight. Awkwardly. There was trepidation to his movement. She was so close. He had a choice. Move back, or forward. What little forward there would be left to move. Raven was watching him as intensely as he had ever watched her. Her lips parted as he reached for her chin, just barely brushing a finger against her skin.

"Stay here with me?"

This time, it _was_ a question.

One she didn't need to think about before answering herself. With a firm nod.


End file.
